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Chicken Gumbo

A “bare bones” gumbo from 1935, noteworthy because it doesn’t start with a roux, AND it includes tomato.
From: Southern Cookbook, 1935.Subtitle: 322 Old [Southern] RecipesCover testimonial: “Appetite-whetting, competent, delicious recipes that have made Southern cooking famous the world over.”—from a Charlotte N. C. source of some kind
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 40 minutes
Total Time3 hours 5 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Southern
Keyword: 20th Century, Chicken, Gumbo, Historical
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 small stewing chicken
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 cups okra sliced and chopped
  • 2 cups tomato pulp
  • few sprigs parsley chopped
  • 4 cups water
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • After chicken is cleaned and dressed, cut it into serving portions.
  • Dredge lightly with the flour and sauté in the butter, along with the chopped onion.
  • When the chicken is nicely browned, add the okra, tomatoes, parsley and water.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Cook very slowly until the chicken is tender and the okra well-cooked-about 2½ hours.
  • Add water as required during the slow cooking process.
  • If a thin soup is preferred, the quantity of water may be increased.

Notes

Personal Notes

They do not say anything about serving this with rice which typically will go into a Gumbo from my personal experience. However, you may want to serve with a small portion of rice for that is traditionally how it is served.